If you can’t do the big things, then do the small things and work your way up in your own time.
Something that seems small to you may be absolutely huge to something else, be that human, plant, animal or even the inorganic earth. Because something that is good for the individual organism, will be good for the population, will be good for the ecosystem, will be good for the Earth, and will be good all the way to the universe. And I mean, up until the universe part, that’s all backed by science. Read anything by Peter Wohlleben or look up articles about conservation, and you’ll find scientific sources that show the interconnectedness of the micro, meio, and macroscopic systems of the world. And it can all start with one person helping out some other person or something less impactful than themselves.
Do it enough times, and you’ll start to automatically find things in the world that are easy to fix and very much deserving to fix. That’s how you learn to understand empathy even if you physically can’t feel it. You’ll learn from the successes and you’ll learn from the mistakes that you make. There will always be mistakes, but knowing that a mistake has happened will always be better than living your life in ignorance that something wrong has occurred.
What I mean by all this is that even if the world was to cave in tomorrow, you can always make it a better place for everyone. Even if no one notices it or it’s only in tiny ways, there is always a way to make it better. If you won’t do it, there’s no guarantee that some else will do it for you. If you can do it, there will always be someone else who will help, even if it’s in their own small little ways. And if destruction was certain, wouldn’t it be nicer to go out knowing you did everything you could to make everyone’s lives happier and more enriched? And when I’ve been saying everyone, I mean everyone, including yourself.
Something, something, it mattered to that starfish.
